Jennifer Berman

Jennifer Berman •
Why Dogs Are Better Than Men •

Canines have so many advantages over mere homo sapiens that it seems almost unfair to list them—except when they’re as endearingly funny as this. You’re bound to recognize your own four-footed friend in Jennifer Berman’s apt cartoons.

Dogs’ virtues are well documented here. The hounds that skip across these pages are unafraid to show affection in public, never criticize your driving or correct your stories, and don’t mind letting you have charge of the TV remote. They’re nice to your relatives. They think you’re beautiful just as you are. They miss you when you’re gone. The middle-aged dogs don’t go looking for younger owners.

My favorite drawing shows a puppy triumphantly dragging home a huge tree limb, thinking, “She’ll love this branch . . I know how she feels about oak.” It’s hard to argue with reasoning like that.

In the spirit of fairness, Berman has included a section titled “Why Men Are Better Than Dogs.” But point for point, Fido and Rex still win out over Frank and Rob.